Services and technologies have totally changed what it means to be an expat. A decade ago, the part-time expat life would not have been an option for most people. By all accounts, past expats to Mexico were true pioneers compared to the lives they enjoy today.

Dealing with cross-country communications, banking issues and the lack of availability of goods in Mexico make prior expats seem more like frontiersmen.

Oh the hardship! You could almost picture them - cut-off from friends and families back home, scavenging for English-language books at the local library and always with an ear to the ground about where to find a good cheeseburger.

As a part-time expat, I've seen my movement from one country to another become more seamless every year.

Technologies and processes keep improving for those desiring to explore how life might be different, and better, on distant shores.

While some have been around for quite awhile, they hopefully will remind you that living in Mexico in 2017 and beyond is no longer like living in a third-world country - in spite of what many people (who have never done it) insist on telling you.

The Game Changers

Online banking - Everyone sits in their pajamas these days to do their banking. When I first arrived to Mexico, I looked at my account ten times a day to convince myself it was still there. Being cut off from my money was my number one fear left-over from years ago when you had to wait for your bank to actually open in the morning and then be able to reach that bank by phone.

So much has changed. Customer service hours have stretched to not having to wait more than a few hours if you have a question or concern. Having two separate U.S. banks, and the ability to easily transfer money from one to another will put your mind at ease in case you lose a debit card (getting your debit card replaced can be a real hassle in Mexico).

Easier Visa processes - Where it used to take months to complete Mexican “tramites” (bureaucratic processes) like applying for temporary and permanent visas, in major expat areas these processes have become much more efficient. Getting my Visa Temporal took less than six weeks, giving me the ability to come and go to Mexico at will, beyond the 180-day tourist visa limit.

Uber, Lyft, ZipCars, Cars to Go and other alternative transportation methods - Traditional car rental companies like Hertz, Enterprise as well as local companies in larger cities have also gotten into the car sharing business.

Maintaining a car in the U.S for many months at a time is a major obstacle to living in Mexico part-time. You have the fixed expense of car payments and insurance. You also have the headache of finding reasonably-priced secure storage and someone to drive your car every now and then while you're out of the country.

Taking the leap to car sharing services made me wish I’d given up my expensive SUV years ago. Ditching the car payment, property taxes, parking tickets, trying to park my car in one of the tiny spaces offered in my Denver parking garage and finding parking in downtown Denver on a Saturday night added up to far more a burden than the occasional inconvenience of not having one.

I do understand how it would be different for me as a woman though, and not a man, especially a dating man.

However, apparently many such men are finding ways around how to pick up their dates. Many young professionals in urban areas, even those who can easily afford cars, are putting off owning a car. Because of parking issues and drinking laws, they are using car-sharing services heavily anyway. Why pay to both have a car and car-share?

If you sublet your place while you are gone, if no friends are available to help, look for Uber’s new service Dolly Uber, an on-demand moving service app to call on the day you have to move your personal items into storage while you are in Mexico, although for me, Closetbox storage is the part-time expat's dream.

MagicJack, Facetime, Skype, Google-Hangoutand other internet-based telephone communication methods to help you keep in touch with friends back home - For those accustomed to traditional telephone carriers, making the transition to internet-based phone communication can be a little daunting. Living in another country will put you on the fast track to figuring it out because expats simply don't tolerate high charges from carriers after they see what Mexicans pay.

Spending a little time experimenting with these apps should beat the heck out of paying for data you don’t use and enduring the monthly gouging and multi-year contracts of the four major carriers.

My MagicJack system (and I’ve heard there are several newer options) cost $48. for a year-long subscription, another one-time fee of $35 for a Magicjack device and $15 for an old-fashioned handheld phone to receive calls that ring just like they did in 1960 (optional). All this adds up to a little over $100 a year.

Even though I found an AT&T plan in Mexico that allows me to make unlimited calls to and from Mexico for $10 a month, the number I have had for 20 years is my internet-based Magic Jack number. I trust Magic Jack more than I trust AT&T's $10 a month deal to be permanent. Call me a skeptic.

VPN services enable expats to watch their favorite television programs live from their own countries and not depend on local networks. More savvy expats who love movies and television utilize something called a flash routers, something beyond my scope at this point.

VPN's don't work with Netflix anymore - they can tell you're using a VPN and will prohibit access to certain shows. You can still rent movies on YouTube if you have a VPN though. Otherwise you will be directed to YouTube Mexico, which doesn't permit movie rentals.

VPN's also keep your Google searches in English, since Google has decided to based your results on your location. That's great if you're ordering a pizza, not so good if your work depends on research.

International trade makes far more goods available - As much as some crusty expats bemoan the Walmarts and Sam's Clubs ruining “authentic Mexico," Today's expats embrace these chain stores as much as the Mexicans do. Availability compares to what you'd find in a small American town.

You may get a little frustrated if you live full-time in Mexico and have to do without pickles for years at a time. If you're a part-time expat, you can marvel at the availability of goods when you're at home and marvel at the lower cost of goods when you are in Mexico.

Online language tools - Even if you don’t want to learn Spanish, internet tools like Google Translate and enable you to get by more easily.

If you do want to learn the language, you no longer have to find a local tutor you like, go to classes, or haul books around. You can learn Spanish completely on your computer. You can even practice speaking, using Skype/Google Hangouts to find free language exchange partners or paid tutors.

Streaming music - If music is important to you, you will be able to stream your favorite music, as well as explore Latin American genres through Spotify, Deezer and Sony Unlimited (Pandora is still not available in Mexico). VPN services enable you listen to location-restricted streaming internet radio like IHeart stations.

Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, Roku and other television streaming services, as my friend Mary mentioned in her expat guest post, mean you rarely have to miss a show. While the availability of programs on Netflix is different, the good news is that you will have a broader selection of Spanish language shows for practicing your Spanish.

Working remote from Mexico- Just as I hired a book cover designer from Brazil from the website Fiverr, and techies from Atlanta, Georgia and India to de-spam my site’s Google Analytics, people can hire you from another country.

Some of my expat neighbors are artists, writers, I.T. professionals and photographers. Take your dream job description and explore whether technology will support your working in and experiencing another country for six months at a time or more.

Pinterest - I know I seem a little obsessed over a tool that has been around awhile now, but if you care about eating healthy and well, Pinterest recipe pins makes cooking so much easier than it would have been five years ago.

Menu planning in another country can be challenging when availability and the taste of some foods can be so different. Meal planning with Pinterest is as easy as typing in “avocado,” “pineapple,” “mango” and “arrachera*” into the search bar. You can create completely separate recipe boards for when you are in the U.S. and when you are in Mexico.

Online healthcare records - My healthcare provider in the U.S. has just announced that I will soon be able to view all my health records online. Being able to see these records while I am in Mexico with the cost of medical services and drugs available for less here at my finger tips, should make it far easier to choose what to do in Mexico (routine check-ups, potential drug purchases) and what to do in the U.S.

Having access to Mexican drugs and services and my medical records online gives a whole new meaning to the words “managed care.” I can see huge potential for being able to better manage both the care and it's cost.

Keep the best, discard the rest

You have many reasons to consider living in Mexico full or part-time.

Some of the reasons are the things that are the same as the U.S., than you can continue watching the same shows you like, listening to music you know and manage your money just like you do now.

Some of the reasons to consider moving are the things that are different from home. You will have a less expensive cost of living, more daily adventure, a break from relentless commercialism, and a more gentle way of life.

Things are not (yet)perfect living in Mexico. The greatest inconvenience is the unreliability of mail service in an age of Amazon.com. Considering the world domination plans of that company, how could Amazon delivery by drone not be in the American expats future?

Maybe I'm too much of an optimist but there's no doubt that with each year's innovations, life in Mexico will get better and better.

Hi - I'm Kerry Baker, a partner with Ventanas Mexico which provides insight and resources to people considering expat life in Mexico, including "If Only I Had a Place" a new guide for the aspiring expat on finding the perfect place in Mexico.